


Time

by ahthena



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M, continues from 5x13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-24
Updated: 2013-05-24
Packaged: 2017-12-12 19:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/815223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahthena/pseuds/ahthena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin goes on with life. Arthur watches. Arthur waits.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Time

Arthur felt the moment he left. He felt Merlin’s arms that were holding him slowly fade away from his reality; even though Arthur knew Merlin wasn’t letting go. Arthur finally let himself free after saying the two words that needed to be said to his best friend.  _Thank you._ Arthur knew when he fell into his peaceful slumber, and knew when he awoke in Avalon just soon after.

And in Avalon he watched the time pass by.

Sometimes he stood at the edge of lake to watch the mortal world go by. Sometimes he would sit. Either way, Arthur would watch the time continue on in Camelot; time was merely a concept in Avalon. There was no definite way of tracking time in Avalon, for, in Avalon, time did not exist like it did on earth. You could track your days by watching time pass in the mortal world, but a thousand days on earth, may just be a minute in Avalon.

And so Arthur watched.

He watched Gwen as Queen, rule Camelot. He watched as the magic ban in Albion was revoked. He watched as Albion was united, as Arthur wished for it to be. He watched as Albion came to an end. He watched the earth and its people transform and change as time went by. He witnessed the revolutions and the wars.

And just as Arthur watched, he waited.

He waited till it would be his time to awaken in the world, once again. He waited for when he had the chance to experience what he saw; to be able to interact with others and make friends. He wanted to experience the changes in the world; to experience the good times and the bad. He wanted to live again.

But through all his waiting and all his wishes, there was one thing that he would focus on. The one thing that he would direct all his attention to; the one thing he would spend hours and hours just watching so he could feel like he was actually there. The one thing that was worth all of his time in Avalon; the time that was spent watching, waiting, and wishing to be a part of the world once more.

_Merlin._

Arthur would spend his days keeping an eye on Merlin. He watched from the very beginning. He was there when he witnessed Merlin sending off his body within a boat, straight to Avalon, tears streaking down his face. He was there to watch as Merlin spent days, if not weeks, just sitting and staring out into the lake. He watched as Merlin left Albion and hid, mourning the death of his king. He never bothered going back to Camelot; there was nothing left for him there. He watched Merlin experience the changes of the world as time passed. He saw as Merlin adapted to the times, sometimes as himself, and sometimes as the old man, Dragoon.

He watched as Merlin travelled all around the world, from city to city before his secret of immortality could be figured out. He watched as Merlin experienced the Renaissance period and the Baroque period; the Romantic period, the Victorian period, up to the Modern era. He watched as Merlin lived through all these times, having to change and adjust to all these different customs and beliefs. He watched as Merlin experienced the times of war and hardship. He watched as Merlin took his time to help those who are less fortunate than others no matter what year it was. It was just who Merlin was, always a helping hand.

And that made Arthur smile.

So he watched as Merlin lived.

But what Arthur never missed as he watched over Merlin, was his thoughts. Merlin was always one to wear their heart on his sleeve. It was easy for someone like Arthur, who knew Merlin as well as he knew himself, to tell what he was thinking of everyday.

And what he saw made Arthurs heart shatter into a million pieces.

This wasn’t the Merlin he knew. This Merlin was different. He could tell that Merlin wasn’t happy. He could tell that Merlin was being set back from living a happy and full life; he was so alone. He didn’t have any friends or family left. He always had to leave his makeshift home behind, before someone realized he never aged. He never had a safe haven; a place where he could truly call home. Always keeping secrets from people he met, just like he had done so before in Camelot.

It wasn’t so different from before.

Arthur could tell that Merlin was carrying a weight on his shoulders. That Merlin was carrying the guilt of a thousand years; the guilt of not being able to save his friend; of not being able to fulfill his destiny. Merlin carried around the sadness of a millennium. Every day he mourned the death of his friends; of not only Arthur, but Will, Lancelot, Gwaine, and all of the knights. Arthur can tell that at every single waking moment Merlin’s thoughts are filled with memories of his past. He can tell that Merlin struggled to get by everyday with the daily reminders of what he left behind.

Merlin had left everything behind; the people, the adventures, the happiness. He left behind his mother, who he had never got the chance to say farewell to. He had left behind his friends; the Knights who died in battle, and those who lived on. He left behind his companions; the druids, and the dragons, which Merlin had not seen since that fateful day.  

There were days when Merlin was weak and felt like giving up, but he knew that there was only one reason for why he hasn’t. He wanted to see Arthur rise once more.

And so, Merlin has to live everyday waiting for Arthur to come back. He lives with the knowledge that one day, his King will return to him, and that together they will fulfill their destiny. The day Arthur returns is the day Merlin will feel true happiness again. Until then, the daily wait is just a reminder of how long he has waited, and how long he still has to wait for that day to come. To Merlin, time is just another burden he must put on his shoulders.

For Arthur, watching over Merlin from Avalon is the closest he can get to being with him. It is the only thing he can do to keep Merlin company, to try to make him feel less lonely.

So Arthur does what he can while he awaits his return back into the mortal world.

He watches the time pass, by the edge of the lake. 

**Author's Note:**

> ~ first fic to be posted. woo!  
> thanks to the awesome beta that is [ragless](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ragless)
> 
> on lj: [[x](http://xcuri0sity.livejournal.com/1989.html)]


End file.
